Sed rate (ESR) cost in Paducah, KY
In Paducah, KY-IL, 2 hospitals list a cash price for sed rate (ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate): from $32.67 to $61.20, with a median of $46.94. The lowest listed price is at Baptist Health Paducah — $14.27 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $32.67 at 15 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 85652, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 18, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Paducah, KY-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Health Paducah lowest Paducah, KY · (270) 575-2100 Red blood cell sedimentation rate, to detect inflammation, automated | $32.67 | $43.56 | $2.30–$87.12 | 25% | Sep 18, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital Paducah, KY · (270) 444-2444 HC Sed Rate | $61.20 | $102.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $32.67, median $46.94, highest $61.20 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $70.20. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
The sed rate measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube. A fast rate is a general sign of inflammation; it is used for conditions such as giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica and to follow them.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.